s/t

Ian got sent this CD, but said he wasn't into it, so I said “gimme! gimme!” as on MP3.com the band compare themselves to bands like Constatine Sankathi and Yaphet Kotto. Goodness!

That’s not quite what I hear in the bands sound though. Yes, it’s good stuff, but those other bands can’t really be heard in their music. Their style is more like energetic emo rock, the likes of which you don’t hear done well that often, so it’s nice to hear it carried off here. “Wing Commander” introduces you to their sound with a touch of piano (which they use throughout their music), and then explodes into life. It reminds me a lot of the band Thursday with perhaps a little of the spazziness of Portrait (minus the screamo). The track has a nice mellowed out breakdown about half way through before getting going again. Vocally they go for the strained-singing style, and the guys voice almost cracks at times. Track 2, “Soap Factory” changes the piano sound for some spooky organ, and this track pretty much grooves a long. One of the best on here I think. “Pralines & Dick” (?) takes a more straight forward rockin’ approach, dipping out of the aggressive music and desperate vocals and sliding down into sad-sounding , lonely, piano. Though of course, sooner or later it spirals back out of control and blast back into action. “Crossing in the Time of Lope De Vega” has a brilliant old-school emo twinkle intro, maybe these kids have heard Indian Summer at some point. It slowly builds up the power levels, with the vocals getting more screamy and shouty, whilst one singer remains almost serene. Standout track for me.

Ok, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary, but this is crunchy, passionate and emotional rock music. Definitely worth checking out if you’re into this style, and bands such as Thursday. I like.